River of Words: Poetry

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Branding in the Spring

As the grass begins to green
And the calves begin to grow
A big job lies ahead of us
Past all the winter snow.

The calves are later separated
After an early start
As we began to sort them through
And break their mother’s heart.

They’re later forced into a chute
By my aggressive dog
And one by one they go through
And face the iron rod

The smell of burnt hair
Rises in the sky
As they’re marked with our hot iron
Clank! The gate swings open and out the young calves fly.

Annie Johnson, Age 14
Surrey Garden Christian School
Gilbert, Arizona
Teacher: Jeff Stultz

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